Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Shameless by Lex Martin - RB + Review + Giveaway

Title: Shameless

Author: Lex Martin

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 26, 2016

Blurb

Brady…

What the hell do I know about raising a baby? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing.

Yet here I am, the sole guardian of my niece. I’d be lost if it weren’t for Katherine, the beautiful girl who seems to have all the answers. Katherine, who’s slowly finding her way into my cynical heart.

I keep reminding myself that I can’t fall for someone when we don’t have a future. But telling myself this lie and believing it are two different things.

Katherine…

When Brady shows up on a Harley, looking like an avenging angel—six feet, three inches of chiseled muscle, eyes the color of wild sage, and sun-kissed skin emblazoned with tattoos—I’m not sure if I should fall at his feet or run like hell. Because if I tell him what happened the night his family died, he might hate me.

What I don’t count on are the nights we spend together trying to forget the heartache that brought us here. I promise him it won’t mean anything, that I won’t fall in love.

I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep.

Shameless
is an adult contemporary romance/spinoff featuring a character from The
Dearest Series, but it can be read as a complete standalone.

This is the first time that I'm struggling to write a spoiler-free review. Because I really want to spoil and tell you how much I adored this book.

Now if any of you are familiar with Lex Martin's writing style, you'll notice the shift in writing and how the characters have a different tone in their thoughts.

It really tugged my heart strings. I will admit that a few tears escaped just because of how intense the scenes were and just the overall story. Mind you, I'm superrr emotional so you may not feel the same. And don't let my tears drive you away from the book, please. I personally think this is the best story Lex has ever written.

Okay, the story itself.

If any of you have read Finding Dandelion, you'll know Brady was featured in the book. At first, I wasn't looking forward to reading his story (I WANT JENNA AND RYAN!) but I grew to love him as I read the story.

Brady is this…big guy who seems very intimidating on his Harley and tattoos, but as Katherine discovers this, Brady is a sweet man.

And Katherine.

Every woman dreams to be this woman. She's got spunk, but she's very sensitive and good natured. She's a nurturer and very emotional, which I can relate to. Whenever she was upset or feeling bad, I just wanted to sit with her and cry together. Katherine is a breath of fresh air and I think she's perfect for Brady.

Throughout the book, you get a really good feeling of how it's like living and working at a lavender farm, which I haven't heard of ever (I'm a city girl from Toronto). Like Brady, I grew to love Texas and the farm and just wish I could live in a place like that.

Lex mentioned in her acknowledgements how much she missed her home in Texas, and it really does show in the beautiful scenic descriptions of the lavender farm. I kind of just want to hop on the next flight to Texas and meet a good Southern man who's let me live on his farm with him. Haha.

Anyways, I praise Lex way too much (and I'm sure she loves the ego boost) but I can't explain how wonderful this book is. I ended up loving it more than I expected.

Shameless is one of those books you'll read 1/4 of and tell yourself, "Yep. This is going to be a 5-star read."

And it is. And I'm so happy I neglected cramming for finals to read this.

Although I don't condone all of you missing work and school to read this book, you should ignore me and just buy the book.

The Dearest Series Boxed Set is FREE on KU for a limited time. Get all three Dearest Series books, including Dearest Clementine, Finding Dandelion and Kissing Madeline, as well as Dearest Series bonus scenes and the first chapter of Shameless.

Lex writes adult novels, the sexy kind with lotsa angst, a whole lotta kissing, and the hot happily ever afters. When she's not writing, she lives a parallel life as an English teacher. She loves printing black and white photos, listening to music on vinyl, and getting lost in a great book. Bitten by wanderlust, she's lived all over the country but currently resides in the City of Angels with her husband and twin daughters.